


Impasse

by 14hpgirl19



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bandit Evil Queen | Regina Mills, F/M, Flirting, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Outlaw Bandit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 16:01:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6476716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/14hpgirl19/pseuds/14hpgirl19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin Hood has to be the most infuriating man Regina has ever met.</p>
<p>Of course this means she has to clean up his mess.</p>
<p>An Outlaw Bandit story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impasse

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this on my Tumblr last summer for OQ Week, then never posted it anywhere else. Recently, I just got the urge to post it on here. So here it is!

The _nerve_ of that man.

Regina pressed her back against the castle wall, holding her breath. Just around the corner stood the Queen’s Black Knights, guarding the entrance to the fortress. The security had been increased with the arrival of the newest prisoner, which only served to make Regina’s job a lot harder.

_Damn_ that man for putting her in this position.

Regina hurried away from the wall and appraised her position. All of the side-entrances were guarded, and there was a constant cycle of knights patrolling the parapets. The castle was impenetrable.

Or, it was for a novice thief who hadn’t lived there for a time. But for her...

Sticking close to the base of the castle, Regina moved carefully, her hand grazing the cold stone. It was here somewhere, that much she knew. But she had only used it a handful of times as a girl, and it had been years since she had set foot in the castle. Her memory was rusty.

_Please don’t be sealed up,_ she prayed. This was her best shot into the castle; without it, she would fail her mission.

Oh, how she _hated_ Robin Hood.

It was subtle, but Regina noticed the way her hand momentarily caught on the wall. Stopping, Regina slid her fingers as far as she could into the minor indentation, prying open the hidden door. It let out a high-pitched screech, and Regina froze, shoulders tense as she waited for the sound of guards descending upon her. Nothing. They must’ve missed it. She let out her breath and ducked inside the passageway.

It was dark, too dark for her to see, but this was what she remembered, and she moved with ease. With each step, memories flooded her mind. Playing hide-and-go-seek with the servants’ children, running through the hidden corridors to avoid her parents, meeting the stable boy down below… Regina shook her head, banishing those thoughts. Now was not the time.

Her hands were held aloft to prevent her from colliding with the rough walls, but she had minimal issues. Everything was as she remembered.

_Seems Snow isn’t as knowledgeable about the castle as she thinks she is,_ Regina thought, smirking. A small victory, but one nonetheless. A little reminder that this was still Regina’s home, no matter how hard the Queen worked to erase her from it.

Eventually, the passage narrowed, and Regina knew she was approaching the belly of the castle. This was where things would get tricky. She grasped the knife at her belt, wishing she had her bow with her. It was too cumbersome for this, and was safely tucked away in a hollowed-out tree.

She stopped once she reached the end of the tunnel, which was covered by a painting, and strained to hear beyond it. There were clomping of boots and boisterous voices, but they faded after a moment. Swallowing, Regina pushed lightly on the painting, and it swung open. The corridor before her was empty. She leapt out and closed the painting behind her, her head darting from left to right.

A loud clanging from somewhere within the castle caused Regina to jump slightly. The striking of a clock. She counted each beat. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven._ Regina winced. She was running out of time. The Queen had decreed that the prisoner would be executed at eight in front of the entire kingdom. Regina’s window was closing, and fast.

She set off like a bullet, her feet carrying her through the castle. She ducked into secret passages when she could and hid in empty rooms when she couldn’t. Every time a guard passed her, her heart leapt into her throat. One misstep, and she – and the prisoner – would be dead.

Curse Robin Hood for putting her in this situation.

Her heart was thudding madly by the time she reached the dungeons. Was she too late? Had the guards already begun prepping the prisoner for the execution?

There was only one Black Knight standing watch, for which Regina was immensely grateful. Snow must have assumed that no one would be able to enter the castle, and therefore believed no one would access the dungeons.

Regina loved how much Snow underestimated her.

Thanks to the element of surprise, Regina was able to subdue the guard quickly with a stone to the head. Dropping to his side, she located his keys and raced down to the cell at the end.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground was the prisoner, his head facing downward. His hands were bound behind his back. Regina slowed as she approached the bars.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

The prisoner’s head snapped up, and relief flooded his eyes momentarily before it was replaced by horror.

“What are you doing here?” he hissed. “You’ll get caught!”

“What I’m doing is saving your ass,” Regina remarked. She held up the keyring. “Do you want out or not?”

Robin didn’t even hesitate before nodding. Regina unlocked his cell and rushed to his side, unsheathing her knife to cut his hands free.

“How did you even get in?” he asked, craning his neck in an attempt to see her. She sawed through the ropes around his wrists, trying to ignore the warmth of his hands.

“You forget,” she said, tugging him up and out of the cell, “I used to live here. Now let’s go before we both die.”

They had made it halfway through the castle before the alarm was raised. Breaking out into a sprint, Regina led Robin through the maze of passageways, never releasing his hand until they were out of the castle and well into the cover of the forest.

“Well,” Robin panted once they stopped running. “That was a pleasant surprise.” He stared at her, and she became acutely aware of their entwined hands. Reluctantly, she dropped his and collapsed against a tree.

“A simple thank you would suffice,” Regina said. Robin’s raised eyebrow indicated he remembered the time he said the exact same thing to her, which sent shivers down her spine.

“Thank you, Regina,” he said with an inclination of his head. The sincerity in his voice made her heart stop. “You didn’t need to risk your life for me.”

“Like hell I didn’t. The only reason you were locked up is because of me. You shouldn’t have sacrificed yourself.”

Robin shrugged. “I don’t regret it. You stand for something, Regina. The people look up to you. If you died, they would be heartbroken. They would lose all hope.”

“You stand for something too, absurd as that is.”

Robin cracked a smile at that, which nearly prompted one from Regina. She reigned it in at the last second, reminding herself that she was mad at him.

“Nevertheless,” he said, fixing her with a pointed look. “The people of this kingdom wouldn’t trust me ever again if I let something happen to their beloved princess.”

“So you did it for them?”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she cursed herself. Robin raised his eyebrows and took a step closer.

“Does that hurt you? The thought that I gave myself up for the people instead of just you?”

“No,” Regina said far too quickly. The smirk on Robin’s face told her he didn’t believe it for a second.

“Regina.” His voice was gentle. He moved closer, his eyes never leaving hers. “If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself. Surely you know that?”

Regina wished she wasn’t leaning against a tree. She desperately wanted – no, needed – to move away from him before she did something she would regret.

“I can take care of myself, you know.”

“Oh, I have no doubt. Today proved that tenfold. That doesn’t mean I don’t fear for your safety. You shouldn’t have come for me.”

His gaze was earnest. Regina’s throat was dry, and he was close, _so_ close.

“I couldn’t let you die for me,” she whispered.

“That’s a worthy reason to die,” he replied, his voice equally quiet. Regina shook her head.

“Don’t ever say that.”

“Don’t ever risk your life to save mine.”

“Don’t ever sacrifice yourself for me.”

He smirked. “I believe we are at an impasse.”

“So, what now?”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “I have a few ideas.”


End file.
